Adventure Through the Cyber Track
by ShowroomDummyNate
Summary: This takes place at the Metropolis Academy, a school in Sonic's world. While this story has many characters, the protagonist is Digit, a undersized and timid wolf, who was sent to the school after a life of abuse and neglect. After discovering the abandoned "Project Cyber Track" with his roommate Silver, he has to balance out the program while trying to survive 9th grade.
1. Chapter 1: Wounded

On the 13th of August, a purple wolf was born prematurely, four months to be exact. His parents named him Digital, or "Digit" for short. The reason was because his father was a computer technician for a tech support company, and he was born on a month with a single digit. It was a miracle he was alive.

At a young age, Digit revealed to be highly skilled with computers, like his father. This led him to get his own laptop at age 5. He cherished it dearly along with his other prized possession, Snowflake.

Snowflake was a stuffed gray seal he'd had since he was born. The stuffed animal was somewhat like a security blanket.

Even though Digit had a few benefits, he also had many disadvantages. Due to his premature birth, he was very short for his age. While the average height for a 6-year-old Mobian is 2' 4", he was only 1' 11". Not to mention that wolves were taller than other species. He was very shy mainly because of this.

By fall, Digit started his first year at a public school. Slowly but surely, it was made clear to him that he was different. He soon realized that no one talked to him, played with him, or ate lunch with him. He was an outcast.

One day, he tried to change that. During recess, he noticed a group of kids playing kickball. After gaining enough confidence, he went up to them.

"Would it be possible if I played as well?" he asked kindly.

"No way!" responded one of the kids. "You're way too short and probably not strong enough!"

Hurt, Digit fled.

The ordeal didn't stop there. He was also a victim of verbal abuse. Digit was no longer happy, and rarely ever smiled anymore. He rarely ever talked as well. His parents were too busy with work that they never even noticed. After having enough, he went to his parents and explained what has been happening.

Shocked, his parents decided to pull him out of school and homeschool him instead. While this strategy worked, he was very lonely. He did nearly all the work himself while his mom, Faith had a new career which involved being at home. For about seven years, his life was like this. And finally, Faith started noticing this predicament, and talked it up with her husband.

"We could try public school again," suggested Keegan, Digit's dad.

"Even though he was bullied ruthlessly?" said Faith, Digit's mom.

"Maybe things will be different. They'll probably be more mature since it's 8th grade." said Keegan.

Unfortunately, things weren't different. Not only did they insult him, but they attacked him as well, and none of the teachers seemed to care!

One day, they went too far. While Digit was walking to his 3rd period, he was stopped by three others who seemed to tower over him.

"Hey, kid!" barked one of them. "Gimme your glasses."

Digit started to back up. "I- I don't want to, I need them to see. Now, if you'll excuse me, I nee-."

"Wrong answer!" he said cutting off Digit. He then punched him in the gut, bringing him to his knees. The boys started beating the poor wolf up. One impact was so hard, it knocked off his glasses.

One of the boys noticed his backpack and started to inspect it. "Hey, what's this stupid thing?" he said pulling out Snowflake.

"No! That's mine!" exclaimed Digit.

"What are you, a baby? This thing is trash!" he replied. He then ripped the stuffed animal with his strength and threw it away.

With one final blow, Digit collided into the lockers. The boys started to walk away while laughing. "Ha! I bet he's crying like the wimp he is!" one of the boys said. While walking, they stepped on the nearsighted wolf's glasses, shattering them.

Digit lied there, on the cold floor. While on the verge of tears, he thought about unanswered questions he had. "Why doesn't anyone like me? Why does everyone want to hurt me in some way? What did I do to be treated this way?" He then tried his hardest to get back up. It felt impossible due to all the aches and bruises he had. When he finally got back up, the tardy bell rang.

Walking back home after school that day felt endless.

"You're home late," said Faith. She was in the kitchen.

"I had trouble coming home. I'm going upstairs," he said.

After reaching his room, he closed his door and sat on his bed. He started to cry. He was never a sobber, he only wept silently. It sounded like sharp gasps. He cried because he hurt, not only physically, but emotionally. He felt alone.

A few minutes later, Faith came up to tell him that dinner was ready. She was shocked to see her lamenting son marked with bruises. After inspecting him, she noticed his black eye.

"Where are your glasses?" she asked.

"They were destroyed," he said.

"What happened?"

The young wolf then explained everything that happened while she listened.

"Thank you for telling me, I'll discuss it with your father," she then left the room.

Digit was expecting more than a thank you, but he didn't know what.

Later that night, she had a discussion with Keegan. "We need to put him in another school, preferably a private one. The bullying has increased rapidly, today he got his glasses broken. I would homeschool him again, but we can't afford it," she stated.

Keegan thought for a second. "Well, we could send him to the boarding school I went to, the Metropolis Academy. I enjoyed the classes, and I made some of my closest friends there," he finally said.

"Seeing that that is our only choice, I guess that'll work," said Faith.

Little did they know that their son was listening to their conversation upstairs. He finally limped back to his room and got into his bed.

While looking out his window, he noticed a shooting star.

"I know shooting stars are just meteors falling to the planet's atmosphere, but if they were real, I would make a wish. I would wish for someone, someone who is amiable to me, someone who I can be with frequently, someone who would understand me, someone who would encourage me, someone who would accept me for who I am despite my flaws. I guess I would ask for... a friend," he said to himself.

After that night, his life would change forever.


	2. Chapter 2: The Metropolis Academy

The drive to the Metropolis Academy was roughly 3 hours. Digit was completely silent the entire drive.

When they reached the boarding school, the young wolf was registered. Afterwards, he met the principal. Apparently, Keegan had him when he went to the Academy.

"He seems nice," thought Digit.

After a brief tour, he was sent to the male dormitory. His room had a shelf, a window, a desk, a cot, and even a desktop computer.

"It looks just like my old room," said Keegan. He noticed Digit was staring out the window. "Hey, son."

Digit finally looked at him.

"You'll be fine. You'll like it here."

Digit slowly nodded.

Keegan started to leave. "Take care!"

Digit sadly waved goodbye. After closing the door, he unpacked and shut his blinds. School didn't start back up for another week, so he waited in his room until then.

The first day of the second semester finally arrived. Digit dreaded this day coming. He lay in his bed hiding under the covers while his alarm clock was ringing.

 _"I might as well accept it. I don't want to be late and make this day worse than it already will be,"_ he thought.

After getting ready, he got his book bag and slowly walked to his first class: Biology. Unfortunately for him, it was a class for multiple grades. When he reached the classroom, he scoped the students inside it.

Everyone seemed fine, except for two characters. One was a black, red-striped, aloof hedgehog, and the other was a red, energetic, echidna who wore spiked, boxing gloves.

After staring at those two for a while, Digit finally sat down at an empty desk. Class started shortly after the bell rang.

While he was taking notes, he felt someone tap his shoulder, making him gasp. He was against anyone touching him, even if it was a pat on the back due to his abuse. When he turned around to see who it was, he realized that he unknowingly sat behind the echidna!

"Hey. I'm sorry I have to ask, but do you by any chance have an extra pencil I could use?" asked the echidna.

 _"Why would he be sorry? Is this a joke?"_ thought Digit.

He hesitated, but slowly reached into his backpack and got a mechanical pencil while keeping an eye on him.

He then carefully gave it to the echidna. "Thanks," he said.

 _"Thanks?"_ thought the wolf. He was puzzled at what just happened.

The rest of the day actually went smoothly.

Digit decided to sit by himself outside the lunchroom to avoid being harmed. He felt hurt he was alone, but he was used to it. It was better than being poked or punched.

He noticed the echidna was running toward him. In panic, Digit quickly packed his lunch and started to run off.

"Wait! Stop!" yelled the echidna.

Realizing he had no choice, the wolf froze in horror.

 _"I knew it was too good of a day to not get hit,"_ he thought, while waiting for the punch. _"How come it hasn't happened yet?"_

The echidna was holding out the pencil he borrowed. "Are you gonna take it or not?" he asked.

Digit turned around in confusion. He stared at the pencil and then at the echidna's smirk. "I found one in my room, so I don't need yours anymore. Thanks again,"

At a slow pace, he retrieved his pencil.

"I gotta go," added the echidna running off. "By the way, the name's Knuckles!"

 _"Why is he so kind?"_ Digit wondered.

Later in the night, Digit got ready for bed after finishing his homework. _"Maybe I just got lucky this day. Maybe tomorrow won't be the same,"_ he thought to himself. He then tried to get comfortable in his bed. Finally, he lay on his side while facing the wall.

Minutes later, he heard a noise. He then realized it was his window. Peering over his shoulder, he saw a tall dark figure climb inside. The figure turned out to be that black hedgehog from earlier!

Expecting to be attacked, Digit started to freak out. He even tried talking, but it came out in stutters.

"No! P-please don't hurt m-me!" he whimpered.

"Calm down!" the hedgehog said while shutting the window. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Digit was still anxious and was trembling in fear. Staring into his red eyes, he tried to ask why he was in his room.

"I thought this was my room. I apologize."

"Oh," said the wolf. He was sweating.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving now." He started to make his way out.

Before he closed the door, Digit asked, "Wh-who are you?"

"My name is Shadow," answered the hedgehog.


	3. Chapter 3: The Building

The next few weeks of school went very well academically for the depressed wolf. He did try to avoid everyone, especially Shadow. He was still skeptical of him.

He started to get tired of his routine: Have breakfast, go to class, have lunch, go back to class, hide in bedroom, have dinner, go to sleep, repeat.

He decided to change it by being outside more.

One Friday afternoon when class was over, he walked over to the schoolyard and sat on a nearby bench. He started to do some coding for a program on his computer.

Digit felt good. He started to loosen up and become unfazed... for only a minute.

Suddenly, it hit him, literally! A basketball seemed to have come out of nowhere and struck the back of Digit's head, knocking his glasses off in the process. Even though it hurt like heck, the small wolf was used to it, but it still hurt like heck.

"Sorry! It was an accident!" called out someone.

Digit turned around to see who was speaking. In the distance was a blue hedgehog with red shoes, a short yellow-orange fox who appeared to have two tails, and Knuckles.

"Can you pass the ball back to us?" asked the hedgehog.

Digit didn't even touch the ball. He just grabbed his glasses and laptop and ran away.

"What did I do?" asked the hedgehog to his friends.

The fox shrugged.

"Don't worry about it," said Knuckles. "I think he's new here and it's taking him a while to get used to the place."

"We still need to get that ball, Sonic," the fox said.

"'Kay, Tails. I'll just run and get it," replied Sonic. "Is anyone looking?"

Tails and Knuckles observed the area.

"Nope," answered the echidna.

Digit was walking off while they were talking. He glanced back at the bench and noticed the ball was still there. He then continued walking off. Suddenly, he heard a whooshing sound in the background. Shocked he turned around again and noticed the ball vanished! Being freaked out, he hurried off.

The wolf took a breather after getting winded. Digit has never been good at anything athletic. He noticed a manhole during his break. Intrigued to know where it went, he opened it and climbed inside. It led him to the sewers. It was fairly dark in there, but there was a light. Following it, it led him to a ladder that went outside.

He was in a completely different place when he stepped out. It was some kind of warehouse or something. He gaped at the mysterious room he was in. There was nothing but cables, transmitters, circuits, and more. He found an elevator in the room he was in. Without even thinking he stepped inside and pushed the button labeled "-3."

When the elevator door opened again, the basement was much different from the room he was in earlier. This room was vacant. Digit stepped out to look around. There was nothing but a switch in the middle and a couple of thick wires on the floor.

While wandering, he thought, _"What is the meaning of this room?"_

While thinking, he tripped over one of the wires. While he was falling, he clasped on to the switch's handle to try and break his fall. By doing this, the switch was pulled down. When he got back up, he heard a short beep and a low whirring sound.

 _"Uh-oh."_

Quickly, the wolf tried his hardest to push the switch back to its original position, but it wouldn't budge.

Becoming timid, he quickly ran back to the elevator to try and escape. He did just that when he found the floor he was originally on. When he made it back on campus, he noticed that there was an large, quaint building in the distance.

 _"That must have been where I was."_


	4. Chapter 4: A Fresh Start

The summer break was long for Digit, but that was okay, he didn't want to be spontaneous. All he needed was his desktop.

His birthday came during the break. He was now 14 years old and 2' 8". All he got was a letter from his parents that day. Beside the birthday wishes in the card, his father informed him that his mother has bile duct cancer. Digit was told not to worry about it, they think she'll recover. He was still stressed though, it was enough to fuel his depression.

The first of September arrived, the first day of school according to the Metropolis Academy's calendar. Digit was partially looking forward to his first day of high school. Keyword: partially.

At around 6:45, he left his room for breakfast in the cafeteria. While walking by, he noticed a couple of employees moving a bed somewhere. _"There must be a new student,"_ he thought to himself.

After reaching his destination, he got in line for cereal. He then sat at his usual bench outside. While eating his corn flakes, he looked through the window, trying to see any of the new students, if there were any. He did notice a female, lavender colored cat walking around the schoolyard.

The wolf then pulled out his schedule to see what class he had first. He got his schedule a week ago, but never cared to actually look it over. The first A-day class he had was physics. He was somewhat pleased, after all, he always has been fond of learning about matter and energy, not to mention science. He then started to make his way to class after putting up his dishes.

After 10 minutes of walking, he found the classroom: Lab 179. Inside were a lot of science instruments. Bunsen burners, laptops, a Van de Graaf machine, and more.

Despite the class being multiple grades, Digit felt like this would be a comfortable class for him, now if only he wasn't alone.

Looking around, he found an empty lab station. He started to get organized even though class didn't start for another 6 minutes.

While doing so, he noticed that the lavender cat he saw earlier was also in the lab. _"I wonder if she is also a freshman."_ The wolf then pondered if he should ask her, but he quickly realized that that would probably be a bad idea due to past events. Also, due to his overly introverted self, he preferred not to talk.

He started to write down the date in his journal. After doing so, he closed his eyes and let his head rest in his gloved right hand, waiting for the class to start.

After a minute, he heard a voice right next to him. "Um, are you Digit the Wolf?" the voice said.

Slightly startled, the wolf quickly looked to see who asked and what do they want with him. To his left was a tall hedgehog who had five quills on the top of his head and two long quills in the back, golden eyes, chest fur, and navy blue and cyan boots with a white stripe in the middle. His color was light gray, the same color as Snowflake.

Digit found himself staring at him before remembering what the hedgehog asked. Unfortunately, he realized he had to talk to him if he wanted to get somewhere.

Still unsure, he answered with another question. Not only to stall, but to possibly get a reason why. "Why? Who wants to know?"

The hedgehog smiled brightly. "I do! I heard he's in this class and you're the only wolf I see in here."

Digit sighed as he finally ran the risk. "Yes, that's me," he said.

"Great! Hi, I'm Silver the Hedgehog. It's nice to meet you," declared the hedgehog.

He then extended his arm out for a handshake. Digit shied away from the hand at first, but then slowly processed the gesture's meaning and response due to him not having to do it in a long time. Slowly, but surely, he shook Silver's hand.

The hedgehog then sat down in the chair next to him. While he thought it was okay, Digit was slightly perturbed.

A bunch of thoughts raced through his mind. _"Why is he sitting next to me? Who is he? What does he want with me? Why is he sitting next to me?! Should I-"_

His thoughts were cut off by Silver. "So," he said "Are there any rules?"

Digit was confused. "Rules for what?"

"The room."

"Which room?"

"Our room. I'm your new roommate."

Digit was now internally aggravated. _"Why do I have a roommate?! I didn't ask for one! I like my space!"_ "Did the principal tell you to move in?" he asked Silver.

"Yes. Why?"

Before Digit could answer him, the bell rang.

The entire class Digit could not pay attention. But how could he? His world has been rocked!

After class, he walked over to the Language Wing for his next class. He noticed that Silver was walking behind him. This made Digit paranoid. "Why are you following me?"

"I have 'Language Arts 9' next," Silver replied.

"Can I see your schedule?"

The hedgehog then gave his new roommate the paper that had all the classes he had for the year. The wolf compared both of the schedules. He realized that Silver was taking every class he was taking in the same exact order! _"Oh, jeez."_

Silver noticed this as well. "Oh, cool! We'll be in every class."

"Yay..." lied Digit.

Silver noticed that the wolf was a little uneasy. "Don't worry, we'll get to know each other more during lunch." They began to walk again.

 _"Maybe this wont be as bad as I thought,"_ Digit said to himself.

Little did he know that this would be the start of an inseparable friendship.


	5. Chapter 5: A Hawkish Encounter

When it was 12:30, the bell rang for lunch. Everyone left class in a hurry for forty minutes of freedom.

In the tight crowd, Digit was accidentally bumped by another student. This caused the wolf to lose his balance and knock into a green hawk.

"Hey, watch it!" said the hawk whose name was Jet.

Digit responded quickly to apologize while slowly backing away. "I'm sorry, it was an accident. I was ju-"

Jet cut him off. "I don't need your excuses." Like most teen Mobians, he seemed to tower over Digit.

The wolf became mute and motionless.

"You think this is funny?" Jet said while pushing Digit to the ground.

 _"Here we go again,"_ Digit thought to himself. He then slammed his eyes shut and braced himself for the upcoming blow out of force of habit.

"Hey! Stop!" said someone that wasn't Jet or Digit.

The wolf opened his eyes again, only to see Silver standing in front of him, blocking Jet from attacking.

"You heard him, it was an accident!" he shouted.

"Back off, hedgehog. This doesn't concern you," squawked the irritated hawk.

The brave hedgehog moved into a fighting stance. "Make me," he barked.

Jet then got ready for a quick skirmish.

The principal was taking notice of this. "Just what's going on here?" he finally said.

He caught Silver off guard. "Uhh..."

"Nothing," Jet quickly said.

"Nice try. Mr. Hawk, if I see or hear anymore of you bullying another student, you will have a week of detention. Do I make myself clear?"

Jet was peeved he got caught. "Yes," He turned his head to Silver. "This isn't over," The hawk glared quickly at Digit and started walking again.

The principal turned to the gray hedgehog. "Silver, while I don't support any kind of fighting, I'm proud of you defending another student against a bully. And for that, you have my thanks."

Silver was touched. "Thank you, sir," he said.

The principal then continued on with his walk to his office.

The hedgehog turned his attention to his roommate. "You okay?" he asked. Digit was in a daze. Silver then crouched near him. "Digit?"

The wolf finally recovered and nodded his head.

Silver gave him his hand to help him up. "C'mon, let's go get lunch," he said.

Digit thought for a minute about what just happened. Finally, he said something. "Silver?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you do it?"

Silver was confused. "Do what?"

"Stand up for me."

"Oh. Because it was the right thing to do."

Digit was astonished by his answer.

"Why is it surprising?" asked Silver.

"Well, no one has ever helped me like that," said the wolf.

"Well, I'm glad to be the first."

Digit started to trust him a lot more than earlier. "Thank you."

Silver smirked. "You're welcome."


	6. Chapter 6: Lunch

In the cafeteria, the two roommates got their lunch from the sandwich bar. Silver got a ham and cheese while Digit got just peanut butter. After sitting down, they started to try and know each other better.

"So, I know we're in the same grade, but when were you born?" asked Silver.

"I was supposed to be born December 19, but I was born August 13, instead," replied his roommate.

"Oh, so you're 14. Cool. I'm 13 still. But I'll be 14 on November 11."

"Okay."

The hedgehog thought of another question. "Do you like reading, writing, or drawing better?"

Digit thought for a moment. He really didn't do any of them. "I guess I like reading best, because you can learn things from encyclopedias and textbooks," he answered.

"So you're into factual things?"

"I guess. What about you?"

"I like drawing the most, because it's fun and relaxing."

Digit was starting to enjoy this. He also had a blank expression on his face. It wasn't a smile, but it wasn't his average glum face he had.

He was then asked another question. "Are you nearsighted or farsighted?"

"I'm nearsighted."

"Are you gonna ask me one now?

The wolf was confused. "What?"

Silver laughed. "Well, I've already asked you three, I figured you could ask me one now."

 _"Oh right, questions,"_ Digit thought to himself.

He then noticed his acquaintance's gloves. They had glowing cyan circles on the front and back. They also had lines that lined up to his golden cuffs that appeared to be made out of metal. His cuffs also had cyan markings on them.

The wolf wanted to ask him about them but was too nervous. He didn't want offend him and lose probably his only chance of a companion.

The hedgehog noticed him hesitating. "What's on your mind?" he asked.

Digit finally gained enough confidence to ask. "Please don't take this amiss, but why do your gloves have marks?"

Silver stopped eating. He gazed at his gloves and then at Digit.

The small wolf hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry. I don't even know why I as-"

"No, no! It's alright!" exclaimed Silver, trying to reassure his roommate. "The truth about my gloves is-"

Silver was interrupted by someone. It was Sonic.

"Hey, man! The name's Sonic. We saw what you did back there with Jet. That was pretty bold. If you want, you can sit with us," he said.

"Really? Wow, sure!" answered the gray hedgehog.

This was his lucky day! He's doing all his classes with his new roommate, then he stood up against a bully, and now he's going to hang out with cool kids! That didn't stop him from being with his acquaintance, however. "Is it fine if my roommate, Digit comes too?"

This made the blue hedgehog glance at the purple wolf. "Yeah, sure. He seems cool."

Silver started to get up. "Okay. I'm in!" he said in delight.

Digit did the same as well. He looked at the table the two hedgehogs were going to. Seeing Tails and Knuckles already sitting there made him feel uneasy. He quickly sat back down. _"There's too many people sitting at that table."_ His glum face returned. He then realized he was sitting in the middle of the lunchroom! He's always sat outside until now. This made him really jittery.

"Is he coming or not?" Sonic asked Silver while pointing at Digit.

The gray hedgehog started walking back to where he was originally and the blue one followed. "Digit, why don't you join us? There's an extra seat."

Withdrawn, the wolf looked at Sonic, then at their table, then back at Silver, and shook his head. Due to him being around a throng of people, he became mute again.

"Why not?" inquired his roommate.

Digit still didn't say anything. He just looked away from him.

Silver sighed. "Alright." He shrugged at Sonic, and then they walked back to their table.

The wolf looked at his half eaten sandwich. He lost his appetite. _"What was I thinking?"_

Over at another table, Jet stared at him with malevolence.

"You're still staring at him?" scoffed Wave, a female magenta swallow who was Jet's colleague.

"Oh, button your beak," snapped Jet. "Sooner or later, I'm gonna get even with him and that gray hedgefreak."

"How, boss?" asked his other colleague, a dark gray albatross named Storm.

"I don't know, but I'll think of something," replied Jet.

Over at Sonic's table, they were having a good chat with Silver.

"So Silver, what's your roommate's name again?" asked Knuckles.

"Digital, but Digit for short." Silver replied.

"Digit. Okay." commented Tails.

Silver was intrigued. "Do you guys know him?"

"Sorta," replied Knuckles. "I borrowed a pencil from him last semester."

"And the future all-star here hit him with a basketball," added Tails.

"Accidentally! I thought you were on my right to catch my pass!" barked Sonic. "I did say I was sorry."

"I know. I'm just messing with you."

"Maybe that's why he didn't wanna sit with us, he's still mad at me," claimed the hedgehog sophomore.

"I don't know. Making a break for it doesn't seem to be a gesture of anger," the junior echidna asserted. "If he stomped off, that's one thing."

"What do you think, Silver?" asked Sonic.

"I don't know," he stated. "All I know is he appears to be shy and that he doesn't say much."

"He can talk?!" exclaimed Knuckles.

"Yeah, why?"

"Because there has been at least three times we've interacted. He would understand what was going on, but not talk, so we figured he was fully mute," Knux said.

"Well, Silver did just say that he's shy. Maybe that's why he doesn't talk much," said Sonic.

"What I don't get is why he'll talk to me, but not to anyone else. To be fair, I kinda did ask him questions you can't respond with yes or no," said the gray hedgehog.

"That doesn't really help us figure out if he's shy or not," commented Tails.

"Well that I can't answer. I used to be shy when I was younger, but I never became mute."

"Checkered past maybe?" mentioned Knuckles.

The gray hedgehog shrugged.

The bell rang for period four. Lunch was over. Everyone got up to return to class.

Silver noticed that Digit wasn't at their original table anymore. _"He must've snuck out,"_ he thought. _"Oh well."_


	7. Chapter 7: Shocking, Isn't It?

Social Studies 9 was the final class that day.

After it ended, Digit made a direct path for the dorms. Silver followed, for a bit.

The wolf noticed his roommate changing direction.

"Wh-where are you going?" he asked.

Silver stopped walking and answered his question. "To the vending machine. Where are you going?"

"...To the dorm. We have a vending machine?"

"Yeah, there's two."

 _"I must have missed that during my tour last year,"_ thought Digit.

"Are you coming?" asked Silver.

"Why?"

"Just because. You should get a soda, it'll do you good."

"...Fine."

He then followed the hedgehog to the said vending machines. When they reached the vending room, Sonic was already there drinking a soda. Shadow was there too, but he was loitering right outside by the wall.

"Hey, guys! Great to see you again," said Sonic while waving.

Silver waved and said hi. Digit faintly waved and tried to fake a smile.

"So, how was your first day at the Academy?" asked the blue hedgehog.

"Overall, it was pretty good. I think I'll like it here," replied the gray one. While he was saying that, he bought a soda from the machine.

"Heh, remember that in case your roommate snores," quipped Sonic.

He then put his arm around Digit. While Sonic was only trying to be friendly, Digit saw this as a soon-to-be assault. He quickly jerked away from the hedgehog.

Sonic just sighed and shrugged and gave up on any more attempts to befriend him.

Silver noticed this but didn't say anything about it. _"Something is up with Digit. Why is he like this with other people? I'll discuss it with him in private and find out why later,"_ he thought. He then tried to return back to the chat. "Where's Tails and Knuckles?" he asked.

"Tails is part of the school news crew thing, so he's doing that, and Knux is probably snoozing in his room," answered Sonic. He then asked, "What are your plans afterwards?"

"I'll probably head back to the dorm and start unpacking my things and later do my homework."

"Okay. What flavor did you get?"

"Cherry. How about you?"

"Just original."

"What flavor did you get, Digit? Uh, Dij?"

Digit was staring out the entryway, not taking notice of the conversation.

"Dude!" yelled Sonic.

The wolf finally turned his head at them.

"You gonna get a drink?" Silver inquired.

 _"Oh, right,"_ thought Digit. He looked at the machines.

One was chips and candy and the other was drinks. He observed the flavors on the drink one. An original soda costed four rings.

In the Mobian world, one ring was equivalent to twenty cents in the US. This meant that four rings was eighty cents

Digit only had a five ring bill. Hoping he would get change back, he inserted it... or at least he tried to. With the scanner being too high of course, he had to stand on tiptoes to reach it. After a few failed attempts, the machine accepted the bill. He jumped and pushed the original button.

Nothing happened.

Getting frustrated, he kept on pushing the button. The two hedgehogs were too busy talking to notice what was going on. Finally, the infuriated wolf clicked the return money button.

Suddenly, a zap of lightning came out from the machine. He got electrocuted!

The two hedgehogs immediately fixed their attention on the scene after they heard the electricity and Digit scream. Even Shadow peeped inside to see what was up. The wolf then fell and passed out.

"Digit!" cried out Silver. Dropping his half-full cherry soda, he ran to his roommate's aid. Shadow came too. The gray hedgehog then picked Digit up and started to inspect him.

Shadow checked his pulse and eyes. "Interesting, blue eyes," he said softly. "He'll be alright, he is just unconscious."

Silver then started to carry his small roommate. _"Wow, he's light,"_ he thought. "I'll take him to the infirmary."

A few minutes later, Digit gained consciousness. "Thanks again, Silver," he said drowsily.

"No problem." The hedgehog noticed something about his roommate that started to concern him. "Your eyes are dark brown?"

"Yes, why do you ask?"

"It's just that I thought they wer- nothing, never mind. How do you feel?"

"I feel funny. It's hard to explain. I know this will sound weird, but I feel like there is a slight static discharge inside of me every few seconds. However, it doesn't hurt."

"Huh."

"What happened to me?"

"It's probably just the aftermath of the electrical shock you had earlier," said the nurse answering Digit's question. She was a light blue squirrel. "I'm gonna keep you in here for a little while to run a quick checkup on you until you've reached a full recovery. It's a good thing you got electrocuted after school."

Digit sighed. "Great. If only I went back to my room. Now I'm stuck here," he muttered.

"Speaking of which, do you mind if I head back to start setting up my stuff?" asked Silver.

"Go ahead," responded the wolf.

"Okay. See you soon!"

While he was walking back, he noticed the same lavender cat Digit saw earlier coming out out of the library. She was carrying five books or so.

"She must like to read," said Silver to himself.

Walking down the stairs, she lost her step and accidentally dropped her books. Groaning, she got on her knees. "This has been a great day so far," she said under her breath sarcastically.

Silver ran to help her. "Here, let me help," he declared.

While picking up the books, he came across one with an interesting title. It read, Pyrology: What You Need to Know As a Fire User. He brushed off the weird title and gave it to her.

"Thank you for helping me, it means a lot," she said.

"You're welcome."

When they both got up, they looked at each other at the same time. They both started to blush.

"Uh, hi. I'm Silver," he finally said.

"I-I'm B-Blaze. Hi," she stammered.

They stiffly shook hands.

"I guess I'll see you around," said Blaze. She started to walk off.

"O-okay. Bye!" he said.

Walking back to the dorm, he thought about Blaze and that book. _"Pyrology? 'Fire user?' Is she pyrokinetic? Meh. Oh well. What I need to focus on is arranging my room."_


	8. Chapter 8: Silver's Secret

Around 4:30, Digit was released from the infirmary. He then made his way back to his room, the place he wanted to go nearly two hours ago.

When he opened the door, Silver was in the middle of the room with his arms stretched out. Right next to him, was a poster and a few sticky tacks floating on their own. The hedgehog was unaware of his roommate walking in.

"What?!" yelled Digit.

He startled Silver. He immediately put his hands down and the tacks and poster fell. "Uh... i-it's not what it looks like!" he exclaimed.

Digit was wide-eyed. "How was that levitating?"

"Uh, it wasn't levitating."

"Silver, I'm not stupid."

The hedgehog sighed. "I might as well tell you my secret. Please don't freak out."

"O-okay," stammered the wolf.

"I'm psychokinetic."

Digit was quiet for a few moments, staring at his roommate. "Are you serious?" he asked.

"...Yes, I'll prove it." Silver looked at a pencil that was on the desk. He then moved his hand and the pencil rose and flew into his hand. The gray hedgehog then hung his head and started to back up.

"Wow. That's amazing," declared the wolf.

Silver was confused. He gave him a puzzled look. "You aren't scared?"

"Of what? Your powers?"

"Well, yeah."

"No, not at all. If anything, I'm covetous. I've always wanted to have powers."

Silver smiled radiantly.

"Is that why you have marks?" asked Digit.

"Yes. They appeared on my fur after I got my powers. That's why I have these cuffs." He showed them for Digit to look at. "They're actually inhibitor rings that help me control my psychokinesis. Without them, my powers become unmanageable."

"Interesting." The purple wolf thought of something. "Can you fly as well?"

"Yep!" confirmed his roommate. He proved it by hovering in the middle of the room.

"Wow, incredible."

"Thanks."

"How come you don't do this in public?"

Silver came back to the ground. "I don't want to freak anyone out. It's not common to see a flying hedgehog in a crowd of regular people. That's why I just do this in private."

"If something was attacking the school, would you use you powers then?" inquired Digit.

"That's different. But, yes, I would," said Silver. "I'm glad you're cool with this."

"You're welcome, and I won't tell anyone. Mainly because I don't want to. I wonder if anyone else has powers here on campus."

Silver remembered the cat from earlier. "There actually might be. Do you know Blaze?"

"Who?"

"Blaze, she's a light purple cat."

"Oh, her. I don't know her, but I've seen her in class."

"Anyway, I saw her earlier and she had a book. It was titled Pyrology or something."

"I've seen that book. It's for so called 'fire users.'" Digit realized what he just said. "Ooohh! So you think she might be pyrokinetic."

Silver nodded. "Exactly! Plus, blaze is a synonym for fire."

The wolf looked at him. "Yeah, but your name is a color and you can move things."

"Just saying. We'll go over it later, I need to finish arranging my stuff."

"Do you want me to help?"

"Nah, this should take like two minutes."

Digit sat down at his desk. "Okay. I'll be here working on my desktop," he said.

"Alright."


	9. Chapter 9: Hidden Wounds

The time was 5:23, about an hour before dinner.

Digit was wrapping up his physics worksheet at the desk and Silver was on his cot drawing. The hedgehog realized that this was a good opportunity to discuss Digit and his behavior.

"Hey, Digit, can I ask you something?" he asked.

Digit turned around in his chair. "Sure. What?"

"Why don't you talk to anyone else besides me?"

Digit paused, then he finally answered. "Because you are the only one I trust."

"Why is that?"

"Because you're the only person I like."

"Because?"

"...Because you're nice."

"I'm not the only who's been nice to you," stated Silver.

Digit got up. "Oh, really. Who else has?" he said while crossing his arms.

Silver also got up. "Let's see, Knuckles was grateful that you let him borrow a pencil, Shadow checked to make sure you weren't badly injured after your shock, and Sonic has not only apologized for accidentally hitting you with a basketball, but has also tried a few times to befriend you! What's the difference between me and them?"

"Oh, please. They're all in older grades! Also, you're not tall, mean looking, or have spiked hands!" Digit started to get annoyed. "Why do you care so much about my personal life?!"

Silver was confused by his comment. "Your personal life?"

"Just forget it," snarled Digit. "I'm going to get some water." He started to stomp off. After he opened the door, Silver immediately slammed it with his psychokinesis. He also locked it.

"What are you doing?! Let me out!" Digit yelled.

"Please, I want to help. Tell me about your past," said Silver.

"Why should I?"

"Just tell me, I won't judge."

"Fine," Digit growled. "I have issues with people," he declared.

"Can you elaborate?" inquired the hedgehog.

"What I mean is that I don't like people because no one likes me. Everyone was cruel to me in my past, even when I did nothing to them. I've always been an easy target to be abused verbally or physically. Just because I was smarter than others, short, or just downright weird. Because of this, I don't feel safe and don't trust anyone. Even though I'm at this school and I have only been bullied once here, I don't feel safe. I never have in my entire life. That's why I'm always scared and cautious of everyone."

Silver didn't say anything, he just listened.

"And no one has ever cared, barely even my parents. They haven't done much to care for me besides trying to keep me from getting hurt besides pulling me out and sending me here, only because they've always been too busy."

Digit's eyes started to fill up with tears. He was trying hard not to cry. "Thanks to this, I'm depressed. I've always felt alone because of this. I feel like I have no one. I gave up on trying to fit in. And it hurts inside, it really does. I've even had suicidal thoughts due to the pain." His voice started to break and he got a lump in his throat. "B-besides the many scars... people h-have left... on me, I have always h-had th-this feeling of... e-emptiness. I... I..."

Digit took off his glasses and finally started to cry. He couldn't say anything because it hurt so bad. He felt hopeless.

He also became embarrassed. He always tried to cry in private. He was taught that males shouldn't cry, especially wolves. The reason why was because crying was a sign of weakness and men shouldn't look or act weak.

He covered his face to avoid looking at roommate. He expected to find Silver laughing at him. After hearing no noise come from him, the wolf peeked.

Silver wasn't laughing or even smirking at all. He actually looked concerned. He gave Digit a moment to let it out, and then he did what his own mother would do in a time like this. He walked to his roommate and hugged him.

Digit tensed up at first because of how foreign the gesture was to him, but his emotions got the better of him and his muscles relaxed.

"It's okay, none of that was your fault," said Silver.

Digit started to cry harder. Not in agony, but in relief. Relief in letting go of the feelings he bottled up inside. He dropped his glasses and slowly wrapped his arms around his roommate and let his head rest against him.

The hedgehog looked down at his roommate with a soft smile. _"Looks like he really needed this,"_ he thought.

He was right. All Digit needed was comfort to show that someone cared about him.

When the wolf's weeping died down, he heard nothing but the hedgehog's soothing heartbeat. Even though the sound was simple, it let him become aware of the fact that this wasn't a fantasy. This was real-life.

He truly wasn't alone.

Silver finally spoke more. "I'm glad you told me this." He then made a promise. "You're not alone because I'll be here with you. You'll be safe because I will protect you from harm. And I won't hurt you because I care for you as a friend. It'll be okay, I promise."

Digit believed him. The words Silver spoke felt sincere, as if they came from his heart.

He was also amazed at the fact that Silver considered him a friend. Despite him being a scrawny, nerdy, midget with glasses who can't do much besides computer work, he was accepted.

 _"Maybe shooting stars do exist,"_ he thought.

He felt calm and at peace, something he hasn't felt in a very long time. He never knew that a hug could heal many emotional scars he still had. He also did something he hasn't done in forever.

He started to smile.

"Th-thanks, Silver," whispered Digit.

"You're welcome," he replied.

"D-don't let go yet, okay?" asked the wolf.

Silver chuckled softly. "I wasn't planning to."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I just want to make it clear that Silver and Digit are not gay in this story. In this scene, it may come across that way to some people, but they are not. This is just a heartfelt moment between friends. Thank you.


	10. Chapter 10: Dinner

At 6:22, the two roommates reached the cafeteria. Digit was going to try sitting inside it again now that his new friend had his back. They sat where they were at originally during lunch.

The blue hedgehog dropped by again as well. "Hey, Silv. You're welcome to sit with us again if you want," he said.

Silver said okay and started to get up.

"Uhm. S-Sonic? Would it be possible if I come as well?" asked Digit.

Sonic was surprised. Not only was he talking, but he was talking directly at him! Silver was surprised as well. He wasn't expecting him to do this today.

"Uh, sure," Sonic finally said.

Shy, but assured, the wolf started to get up as well.

"Are you sure, Digit?" asked his roommate. "You really don't have to."

"Uh-huh. I'm sure."

"Mkay."

The three made their way to the bigger table.

The five boys had a good chat. Digit was quiet for most of it, mainly because he still felt a little awkward, but he didn't feel panicky. He also didn't understand half of what they where talking about.

Silver wasn't talking much either. Not because he felt uncomfortable, he just was more focused on something else. Someone else.

He finally said something. "Hey guys. I'm sorry for changing the topic, but I wanted to know if I could invite someone over," he said.

Sonic shrugged.

"Maybe. Who?" asked Knuckles.

"Blaze."

"Who's he? Is he in your class?" inquired the blue hedgehog.

" _She's_ in my class. Blaze is a girl," corrected Silver.

"Oh no, a female," groaned Sonic. He sank in his seat.

"There's a middle schooler named Amy who's crazy over Sonic," clarified Tails.

"Don't worry, Blaze appears to be mature," Silver stated. His muzzle started to blush. "I also think she likes me."

"Ah," said everyone except Digit in unison.

Digit just stared at his roommate. _"He's been here for one day and he already has a crush?"_ he thought.

"Better you than me. Do you know how old she is?" asked Sonic.

"She's in most of mine and Digit's classes, so she's probably 14," replied Silver.

"Wait, you're 14?" asked Sonic to Digit.

"Yes. Why?"

"Well, it's just that you're so sma-" the hedgehog was planning to say "small" until Silver shot him a glare.

"Smart!" he said strained.

"You were going to say 'small', weren't you," said Digit.

"...Yeah."

The wolf sighed and rolled his eyes. Sonic completely killed off his short-lived vibe of being content. Usually, he would react by hanging his head feeling dejected, but this time, he just felt annoyed, cross, and even a bit angry. "Yes, I'm a freshman who's not even 3 feet! Got it!"

Silver facepalmed.

"You idiot," mouthed Knuckles to Sonic.

The blue hedgehog turned red due to embarrassment. "I'm sorry, man."

"Mmhmm," said Digit.

There was a long pause.

Silver broke the silence. "Wait a minute. What grade are you in, Tails?"

"I'm in 10th. I'm only ten years old, but I skipped five grades," responded the fox.

 _"That's depressing. A would-be 5th grader is almost the same height as me,"_ thought Digit.

The gray hedgehog noticed his purple friend slumping in his chair, it was at the point to where his shoes almost touched the floor.

 _"I'll just invite Blaze tomorrow,"_ he thought.

After dinner, the roommates made their way back to the dorm. While walking, Silver noticed something in the background.

"Digit?"

"Hmm?"

"What's that building?"

"Which building? It's hard to see which one you're talking about from down here."

The psychokinetic hedgehog pointed to it.

"That one. That big square-like one in the background."

"Oh, that one. I think it's an old warehouse or factory."

"Have you been there?"

"Once." Digit got an idea. "Do you want to go there?"

"Kinda."

The wolf started to run to the manhole cover. "Okay, let's go!"

"Wait!" Silver grabbed his friend's arm. Digit quickly yanked it off.

"Tonight?" asked the hedgehog.

"Well, yeah. What's wrong?"

"It's a school night, not to mention the first school night!"

"We'll be fine, we don't have to be in our room until 9:30." Digit checked his watch. "It's 7:12," he stated.

"How do you even get there?" asked Silver.

The wolf opened the manhole. "Through this tunnel by the sewer," he replied.

"Okay, sure."

Digit smiled and started to climb down. Silver followed after him and closed the cover.

During the two's trek, Sonic was up in his room playing guitar. Besides video games, skateboarding, and sports, he enjoyed music.

His roommate, Tails came in from taking a shower a couple minutes later. Being done for the day, he was now wearing pajamas.

"I'm back, there's a stall open if you're gonna take a shower now," he said.

"Maybe later," replied the 15-year-old hedgehog. He put down his guitar, a cherry red 1991 Stratocaster. "Tails, can I ask you something?"

"What's up?"

"You think I hurt Digit's feelings?"

Tails sat on his bed. "Gee, you think?"

Sonic groaned and then flopped onto his bed. "I'm sorry! It's not my fault he's short," he whined.

"It's not his fault either."

"You know what I mean."

Tails smirked. "Kinda like how it's not Silver's fault he's tall?"

Sonic looked at his roommate in disbelief. "Can you repeat that?"

"Silver is slightly taller than you, by like an inch or so."

"But he's almost 14!"

"Yeah, and you're 15."

Sonic was shocked. "Now _I_ feel short."

"Exactly. Try seeing it from his or anyone else's perspective before saying it first. Sorry I had to use Silver as an example."

"Nah, it's alright, I'd find out he's taller someday."

The fox pulled out his GameDude, a hybrid gaming device. He continued talking while he was playing it. "The point is that we're all different, we have strengths and weaknesses. For example, you have the power to run fast, a physical strength, but you're not so good at math, a mental weakness. While Digit maybe short for his age, he'll have a strength to make up for it."

Sonic pondered what his friend said. "You're right, we're all different somehow. Thanks, bro," he finally said.

"You're welcome, bro," said Tails.


	11. Chapter 11: The Tunnel

The sewers were like a tunnel. They were big, echoey, and dark. Luckily, Silver's gloves and boots were like glow-sticks. They were nearly halfway from the warehouse.

"I'm glad you wanted to do this, Silver. Thank you," declared Digit.

"You're welcome," replied Silver. "Do you mind telling what's over there?" he then asked.

"Well, I haven't see all of it," replied the wolf. "What I do know is that there are at least five floors, along with an elevator. The bottom floor has a bunch of cables connected to a switch,"

"What does the switch do?"

Digit remembered when he first went. "I don't know. All I know is that I think I accidentally turned it on."

Silver looked at his roommate. "Well, if the place is abandoned and you're the only one who's touched it in a long time, I'm sure you're okay," he said.

Silver mentioning touch reminded his roommate of something he wanted to talk about. "Silver, there's something I would like to get across," he said.

"Sure. What?"

"I know we're friends now and all, but can you try not to touch me? I trust you, but I'm just not ready for friendly contact."

"Yeah, of course. I completely understand."

"Thank you. I'm glad y-"

Digit stopped walking. His left ear flicked.

"What's wrong?" asked Silver.

"...I thought I heard something," he said nervously.

"It's probably just a loose pipe dripping."

"...Okay." He then heard footsteps. "Where you going?"

"What do you mean?" asked the hedgehog. I'm standing right here."

Digit once again became fearful. He heard a noise again, but this time, Silver heard it too. It sounded like a "psst."

"Great, we're being followed! What was I thinking?!" squeaked Digit.

Silver tried to calm him down. He almost put his hands on Digit's shoulder but quickly stopped himself. "We're okay. I have powers, remember?"

His gloves lit up brighter. He was planning to launch a psychic knife. He then aimed where the noise was coming from.

"Who are you and what do you want with us? Show yourself or I'll fire!"

While this was going on Digit stared at him. _"How is he so brave?"_ he thought.

Right before Silver shot, a figure appeared. "Wait, hold your fire," it said.

The roommates immediately knew who it was on account of his deep, raspy voice. "Shadow?!" they both said.

The black hedgehog walked up to them. "Yes, it's me."

Digit and Silver became annoyed at him.

"What the heck, Shadow?!" shouted Silver.

Shadow raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What?"

"What kind of a prank was that?"

"I think pranks are ridiculous. What are you talking about?"

The gray hedgehog scoffed. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe following us, while making noises."

Shadow folded his arms, his standard position whenever he wasn't doing anything. "I was trying to get your attention," he stated.

"Next time, please think of a better strategy."

"Fine. Stalking wasn't my intention though."

Shadow glanced at Digit, who was standing right behind Silver.

The gray hedgehog started to see why his roommate didn't trust Shadow. Even he was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable around him. Silver safeguarded his friend by putting an arm around him. He may have gone against what Digit wished for, but it was for a good cause.

Digit tensed up at first, but remembered he trusted him and made an exception.

"'Kay, on that weird note," said Silver while staring at Shadow, "we'll be leaving." He and Digit continued on their path.

"Where are you two going?" inquired Shadow.

Silver was starting to get suspicious. "...Why do you need to know?"

"I asked you first."

Silver sighed. "We're going to an abandoned warehouse near here."

"It's an old testing facility," corrected the black hedgehog. "You're only halfway."

"You don't say!" Silver said sarcastically.

"Y-you never did answer his question," said Digit.

"Right," replied Shadow. "The reason why I wanted to know is because I'll actually be civil for once and help you get there faster."

"How? Do you have super-speed or something?" asked Silver.

"Yes, actually. Like you, I also have powers."

Silver then felt mortified; he exposed his psychokinesis to another person... on the same day. "Dang it," he whispered.

"My main power is Chaos energy," stated the black hedgehog.

"Like from a Chaos Emerald?" said Digit.

Shadow nodded.

"Wait, how do you know about this, Digit?" his roommate asked.

"I read boring things like encyclopedias, remember?"

The hedgehog then pulled out a green Chaos Emerald. "With it, I can perform Chaos Control and teleport us to the facility."

Silver contemplated for a moment. "Give us a minute," he said.

The two roommates turned around to have a private discussion.

"Should we or should we not, Dij?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"This was your idea to come here in the first place."

"You're right, I'm sorry."

Shadow was growing impatient. "Any time now," he said.

"Give us a sec!" called out Silver. He returned to the huddle. "I don't know if Shadow's legit about this Chaos Control, I don't really trust him. Do you?"

"Heck, no! He might have made sure I was okay when I lost consciousness, but that doesn't mean I trust him."

"It would help if he showed more emotion, it's hard to read him because he always seems standoffish."

"Um, Silver? We should probably make a decision, it's 7:30."

"Fine, let's risk it."

"Okay."

They then looked at Shadow and agreed to let him help them. He then raised the emerald in the air.

 _"I hope this works,"_ Digit thought.

"Chaos Control!" the black hedgehog shouted. The three then warped through space.

After the warp, they appeared in a small room with one giant door and a few buttons on the side. It was the facility elevator.

"Wow, that actually worked!" said Silver. "Thank you, Shadow."

"Yeah," responded the black hedgehog.


	12. Chapter 12: PCT

"So which floor do you want to see first?" asked Digit.

"It doesn't matter," said Silver.

"I'm not exploring with you guys, so I don't care," said Shadow.

"Okay then," said the wolf. He pushed the "-3" button. "I'll show you the switch room then."

When the door opened revealing the room, it appeared that nothing in the room changed since the last time Digit was there.

Silver walked up to the switch. "So this is what you turned on?"

Digit nodded.

"Did you notice the switch has 'P.C.T.' on the bottom of it?"

Digit thought for a second. "No, I didn't. I wonder what it stands for."

Silver then flew around inspecting some of the cables. "If these are connected to the switch, they must program something. Where do they lead to?"

Digit shrugged. "I panicked and left, remember?"

"Right."

The bespectacled wolf spotted the ladder near the elevator. "Maybe our answer is upstairs," he said.

The two climbed up the ladder.

The next floor was different. In this room were three long rectangular boxes arranged in a triangular position labeled "A," "B," and "C." On all three of the boxes had "Project Cyber Track" inscribed on them.

Digit adjusted his glasses. "I guess that's what 'P.C.T.' stands for," he said. "Now we need to find out what is the project's purpose."

In the middle of the room was a container that had a glowing object inside. At the bottom of the container were wires that spread out across the room.

The two had a closer look. Fortunately, the container was at eye-level with Digit, so he didn't have to stand on tiptoe. Silver, however, had to crouch down a bit to see it clearly.

They discovered that the object was a purple gem.

"That's another Chaos Emerald," declared Digit.

"Another one? How many are there?" his roommate questioned.

"Seven. Individually, they can produce powers that can bend time and space. When all are together, something super happens. I don't know where the other five are, or if that is even true." The purple wolf then realized something. "How did Shadow get one?!"

"I wouldn't question it, he's strange," said Silver. He looked at the three strings of cables.

"This emerald must power something," Digit commented.

While he was saying this, his roommate followed a string of the container's cables. It led him to Box B. After doing so, he spotted a button on the front. After pushing it, a side of the box opened, revealing it was a door.

Digit ran to see what happened.

"Whoa," they both said in unison.

The box didn't seem to be a hollow box at all, it appeared to be a mega-scanner!

The two stepped inside to explore the narrow yet tall space. It looked like they could fit one more inside. The inside's color was bright blue and the floor and ceiling was white.

"Is this a teleporter?" said Silver.

Digit shrugged.

They exited the box and climbed up the ladder again.

This next floor was dark. Not pitch black, just very dim. The small wolf got out his phone and turned on his flashlight to see better. A seat came into sight, along with what looked like a TV or a monitor. Eager by the sight of technology, he scurried to the seat.

Of course the chair was too big for him. He tried to jump on, but kept falling off. Silver came to help by giving him a boost.

When he finally got in, he felt the seat starting to move. Getting anxious, he looked to see what was going on. Immediately, the chair felt a lot more comfortable. It was almost like it shrank.

"AUTO ADJUST COMPLETE," said an robotic voice.

It did shrink!

The nearly white hedgehog noticed a glowing button near the seat's armrest. Without even thinking or asking, he pushed it. The action set off a chain of things. First, green lights lit up the room, secondly, a desk with a keyboard emerged, then the monitor lowered down along with two more, and finally, the computer turned on. A welcome screen materialized on the middle monitor.

"Interesting. No password," said Digit.

A couple moments later the software booted and the home screen appeared.

"Hello, master," said the computer. An audio waveform on the right screen visualized the speech. The programmed voice was female.

The roommates were taken aback by this.

"Did the computer just speak?" Silver said for confirmation.

"Yes, I did."

"Who are you? What are you?" inquired Digit.

"I am Project Ally, a virtual assistant created by the Advancement in Technology Organization in order to assist with the Cyber Track."

"If I may ask, what is this Cyber Track?"

"The Cyber Track was a program that would allow users to be transported with the power of a Chaos Emerald, preferably through alternate dimensions," replied Ally.

"So it is a teleporter!" remarked Silver. "Why was it scrapped?"

"The project was shut down on account of one main reason. A corrupt worm was found in the system and was able to create a loophole in the Cyber Track. If the system was left on, it may have been possible to for it to impact the real world."

"Maybe we should turn it off, Dij," Silver said directly.

The wolf sighed. "I would if I could, but it is easier said than done. It won't move."

"It might if I us-" Silver got cut off by the VA.

"If I may interject, young hedgehog, but everything should be alright. A kill code was added before the system was turned off. This unfortunately erased most of the dimensions added; however, they can be retrieved with the proper coding."

Silver tends to be gullible, so this bit of information made him upbeat. "Okay!" He quickly became concerned thinking about another thing. "Wait. What time is it?"

Ally responded before Digit could even look at his watch.

"The current time is 2000 hours, or if you prefer 12-hour format, the current time is 8:01 P.M."

"Uh, Thanks, Ally."

"You're welcome, young hedgehog."

"Just call me Silver."

"Ally, set the computer to 12-hour format," commanded Digit.

"Time format set."

Silver was becoming restlessly eager to enter the Cyber Track. "So, can we try it out?"

"I haven't even looked at the database yet!" replied the purple pup. "Give me some time."

"Alright." He was slightly disappointed, but he could be patient.

Even though his name was odd, Digit's name did have a purpose. Being the expert he was with the deeper aspects of digital technology, the teenager understood the programs and codes completely. While looking through each and every file of a supercomputer may seem boring to the average person, it was Digit's idea of fun.


	13. Chapter 13: SMS (Hi!)

While Digit was checking out the supercomputer, his roommate was texting with his parents. He promised he'd message them on his first night at the Academy since he was now living in a different city away from his parents.

SILVER: Hey, guys!

MOM: Hiya, honey!

DAD: Hey, skipper! How was your first day?

SILVER: It was pretty good. Even though this is a lot different then what I'm used to, I think I'll manage here.

MOM: That's nice. I miss having you here!

SILVER: I miss you too, Mom! :D

DAD: Are you making friends with anyone yet?

SILVER: I already have! I'm now friends with this hedgehog named Sonic. He's nice and invited me over have lunch with him and his other friends.

MOM: He seems very pleasant to be around.

DAD: Do you have your eyes on any girls yet?

SILVER: DAD! WTH.

MOM: Honey!

DAD: What? Someone had to say it. ;D

SILVER: There is this one girl I met earlier. Her name's Blaze. I helped pick up her books after they fell accidentally.

DAD: OHH! You lucky boy!

SILVER: I barely know her! OMG.

MOM: Honey...

DAD: Y'know I'm just messing with you, skipper.

SILVER: Mmhmm.

MOM: That was nice of you to help her. Do you like your roommate?

SILVER: Yeah. We're in every class together. I also protected him from a bully.

DAD: Right on!

MOM: What happened?

SILVER: From what it looked like from my POV, he tripped and knocked into this mean hawk named Jet. He then pushed Digit (my roommate) to the floor.

MOM: Oh no!

SILVER: Don't worry. I ran and blocked his way before he could attack. We actually almost fought ourselves. The principal broke it up and berated Jet.

MOM: Wow!

DAD: I'm proud of you, son. You're always doing what's right.

SILVER: Thanks, Dad. :)

MOM: You didn't use your powers during the fight, did you?

SILVER: No.

MOM: Good.

SILVER: But I did accidentally reveal them to Digit in our room.

MOM: WHAT?!

DAD: Welp...

SILVER: Mom, it's okay! He's okay with it and promised not to tell anyone. Pleasedontbemadatme...

DAD: I'm cool.

MOM: Well, as long as he's okay with it, I'm fine. I'm sorry for freaking out. Just try to be careful and only use them for emergencies.

SILVER: I will.

DAD: Is your roommate nice?

SILVER: I think so. He's EXTREMELY shy.

MOM: That's too bad. Do you know why he is?

SILVER: Yes, actually. He opened up to me earlier. He told he's been bullied most of his his life, so he's become insecure as a result.

MOM: That's terrible. Did you do anything after he told you this?

SILVER: Yep. I comforted him and told him I have his back.

DAD: How'd he respond?

SILVER: He enjoyed it. It's as if he's never been comforted before. I'm sure he'll fully come out of his shell.

DAD: Digit's a turtle?

SILVER: No, he's a wolf.

MOM: Is he taller than you? Wolves are usually tall.

SILVER: Haha. No. I'm much taller. He's 14, but he's like 2'8".

DAD: Jeez. That's probably another factor of why he's shy.

MOM: We'll keep him in our thoughts.

SILVER: Thanks.

MOM: We'll let you go. It was nice to hear from you.

DAD: Yeah. I just want to let you know that we're both very proud of you and we hope you enjoy the Academy and that it prepares you for your future.

SILVER: Thank you!

MOM: WE LOVE YOU!

DAD: Later, skipper!

SILVER: Love you too! Bye!


	14. Chapter 14: How It Works

After the gray hedgehog finished his chat with his parents, he finally got up to see what his friend was doing. The continuous sound of beeps and clicks made him curious. Looking at the screens, he saw nothing but ones and zeroes. Digit was reading binary code.

"You understand this?" he said.

Digit looked at him. "Well, uh, yeah," he replied. He felt concerned. "W-why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Digit."

"Oh. Sorry, I'm still getting used to someone fully accepting me." Embarrassed, the purple wolf looked down.

"It's alright, I understand," said Silver. He started to put his hand on Digit's shoulder to reassure him, but he stopped in midair.

Digit noticed this. "It's okay. Go ahead," he said.

"Really?" he said for clarification.

"Yes. I..." He hesitated for a couple seconds. "I'm ready. I know you won't hurt me," he finally said.

Silver slowly put his hand on him. Digit flinched, but quickly got over it.

 _"I'm glad he's starting to get used to physical contact,"_ the gray hedgehog thought.

"Honestly though, why are you amazed that I can read binary code?" asked Digit.

Silver took his hand off. "I mean it's just so difficult and confusing," he replied. "I'm just glad you understand it, that way we can test out the Track."

Digit smirked.

"It's also nice to see that someone else I know is bilingual," continued Silver.

The wolf turned his chair to face his friend. "You're bilingual too?"

Silver nodded. His intrigued roommate then asked what language and he responded with "Sign language."

"Are you serious?" asked Digit.

The hedgehog then signed "Yes, I'm serious." to prove it.

"In my opinion, that's more difficult than binary," proclaimed Digit.

Silver snickered at his comment.

His small friend rotated his chair back to the screens and continued typing. "How did you learn it?" he asked.

"From a book," answered Silver.

"That's it?"

"Well, a book and my laptop. I also took a few quizzes and exams."

"So, you didn't have a teacher?"

"No, I taught myself for extra credit. I was homeschooled."

Digit looked at him again. "Oh, wow. I was homeschooled too," he said. He almost forgot about explaining the Cyber Track. "I figured out how to run the scanners."

"Oh, great!" said Silver. "How does work?"

"It's pretty complicated, so I'll try to explain it in layman's terms. Once you step inside one of the boxes, it gains power from two places. One source is from a generator for electrical power, the other is from the emerald for teleportation power. While it's doing that, it scans you on the inside with cameras, rays, and invisible waves found on the electromagnetic spectrum, mainly microwaves. When there's finally enough power, it manipulates your atoms inside your body allowing it to teleport into the Cyber Track's hub and then into an alternate dimension. Do you understand or are you lost?"

Silver nodded. "Yeah, I get it." He was slightly confused, but he didn't want to upset Digit.

"Okay, good."

"So can we try it out _now_?"

"We could, but it's 8:42. Not to mention Shadow is probably wanting us to be back soon or else."

"Oh. Right," said Silver sadly.

"I'm sorry. Do you want to test it out tomorrow?"

"No, let's wait until Saturday. That way we'll have a full day to explore the Track."

"Smart idea," said Digit. "See you then, Ally."

"Farewell, Digit and Silver," said the VA.

The wolf turned off the computer and hopped out of the chair.

The roommates then walked to the elevator and pushed the button. When Silver and Digit stepped inside, Shadow warped them back in a spot on campus where they wouldn't be seen.

"Thanks again, Shadow," said Silver.

"Don't mention it," he answered. He then walked off in a different direction.

The two roommates made their way back to their room. It was late and only a few people were outside.

"It's a good thing we already finished our homework," commented Silver.

"Yeah," replied Digit.

"Hey, Dij?"

The wolf looked at his roommate. "What?"

"We're keeping this a secret, right?"

"You know it."


	15. Chapter 15: Night

The two immediately got ready for bed after entering their room. After a long, action-filled day, they were tired and needed to rest for whatever was in store tomorrow.

"Wow, what a day," said Silver. He climbed into bed.

Digit followed suit. "Yeah."

"What time is breakfast here? I forgot."

"I don't know when it actually starts, but I usually leave at 6:45."

"Okay, thanks. It's a good thing you've been here for a while."

Digit looked at him briefly. "It's nothing special, but you're welcome."

"Alright, I'm going to sleep." Silver then got into a comfortable sleeping position. "Goodnight, Digit."

Those last two words his roommate uttered echoed in the wolf's ears. He remembered the countless nights he would say goodnight to himself, hoping for some response. He felt glad on the inside and let out a half-gasp, half-snicker to himself. Once again, he felt like he really wasn't alone. "Goodnight, Silver," he said softly. Finally, Digit drifted off to sleep.

Digit woke up abruptly in the middle of the night. He looked around his room quickly. It was very dark inside. He noticed his roommate's bed was extremely level. Feeling skeptical, he said his name. No response. Finally, he got up and he noticed the bed was made and empty. The wolf realized he had been dreaming. He doesn't know how long he was sleeping. Heck, it could still be the night Shadow came in. But he did know that the last day was all an illusion. There wasn't a Cyber Track, or an electrocution, and most of all, a friendly psychokinetic hedgehog named Silver.

Stunned, Digit slowly sat back down on his own bed. He didn't know what to do or how to deal with how he was feeling. He felt devastated, cheated, and enraged all at the same time. He then buried his face in his pillow and started to scream. He wanted it to end, his depressing, painful, life. He has completely lost all hope for a better destiny.

Suddenly, the door opened. Standing there was Silver in his sleepwear while holding a bottle of water. "Digit?"

The teary-eyed wolf looked at him. "Silver...? Where were you?!"

"I got thirsty." The hedgehog got concerned about his roommate. "What's wrong?"

Digit ignored his question. "What happened yesterday?"

"We met yesterday, you got electrocuted, and we discovered the Cyber Track." He then repeated his question. "What's wrong?"

"I... I thought I was dreaming. I thought everything that recently happened wasn't real, including you."

"Nope, yesterday really happened," Silver said. "Also, if I wasn't real, there wouldn't be another bed."

While wiping off his tears, the bed comment made him think of another question. "But how come your bed is perfectly made?"

"Sorry. I tend to remake it if I ever wake up at night, that way it's comfortable when I get back in."  
"Oh." Digit hung his head.

Silver went back to his bed. "Do you know what autophobia is?"

Digit shook his head. "Not really, but I probably have it along with everything else I have, don't I?" he whimpered. His head was still hanging.

Silver could clearly see that Digit was distressed. "Never mind. We'll talk about it later."

"Okay."

The two went back to sleep. About an hour later, Digit woke up once more. He quickly looked at his roommate's bed. He saw Silver's glowing hand marks. They were slowly flashing on and off. This indicated that he was sleeping. Feeling more calm, he slowly started to believe that this wasn't a dream. Finally, he went back to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16: Morning

Digit slept soundly after that weird event. He started to feel something nudge his shoulder. He immediately shot straight up out of alarm. He looked around his room for potential threats. All he saw was his roommate.

"Calm down, Digit. It's just me," Silver said.

"Oh, right." Digit put on his glasses. While doing so, he noticed the amount of sunlight in the room. He wasn't used to this much light in his room in the morning. His shade was usually down. "What time is it?"

"It's 6:01. I figured this would be enough time for us to get ready for school and not be late for breakfast."

The wolf nodded.

The two then made their way to the dorm's shower room. There were about 12 other boys in the room, none of them Silver or Digit recognized. While inside, the roommates took showers, brushed their teeth and fangs, put on deodorant, and put on their normal attire: gloves and footwear.

"We have P.E. for second period, don't we?" asked Silver. He was combing his chest fur.

"We have P.E.?!" exclaimed Digit. He was cleaning his glasses.

"That's what PhysEd. stands for, and our schedule says we have it for B-Days."

"That what it said? I thought it said "Physics!"

"Why would we have the same science class again?"

"Touché."

The two were dressed and ready for the day. The went back to their room to get their backpacks. Digit immediately checked his schedule after opening the door.

Silver was right, The two had P.E. for their second class that day. First was Chaosology, the study of Chaos. Next came P.E., and then Algebra 1. The final class was a study hall period.

The wolf groaned. "I hate anything related to physical fitness," he said.

"Why?" asked Silver.

"Because I'm horrible at it!" said Digit while stuffing the paper in his bag. "Never mind, let's go."

The two walked out.

"I wonder what they have for breakfast today," said the hedgehog.

Digit shrugged. "Meh."

"You don't care?"

"Not really, I just have cereal." He paused for a moment. "Are we sitting with Sonic and his group again?" His voice warbled a bit while saying that.

Silver knew it was clear that his roommate did not like Sonic. "No, not today. Maybe another time." He heard Digit exhale in relief faintly. "However, you don't mind if Blaze sits with us, do you?"

"...No," The wolf said slowly.

"Why? What's wrong with her?"

"I... I'm just uncomfortable around girls."

"Because they're pretty?" he said jokingly.

Digit didn't laugh. "No, they just don't like me. They always make fun of me no matter what."

"What did they do to you?"

"Nothing you probably don't know already. Make fun of my height, my glasses, my color, me not talking, my voice whenever I did talk, anything. I usually got physical abuse from the boys and verbal attacks from girls."

"Not all girls are like the ones you've experienced before now, Digit. They're usually kind, funny, and caring."

"Well, you have your beliefs and I have mine."

The hedgehog sighed. He could understand where Digit was coming from, but he also thinks that Digit should get over it and start over. He tried one last attempt to convince him. It was clichéd, but it might work.

"You know, there might be a girl who has a crush on you."

"You're right. There is. It's called my imagination."

"No, I'm serious."

"Yeah, sure. Well, if you ever find a female who likes a scrawny, introverted, wolf who is purple and freakishly short, let me know!" Digit said bitterly.

"What's wrong with being purple?"

"I hate purple! Not to mention it isn't a common fur color."

"Doesn't that make you feel special?"

"No, it makes me feel unusual." Digit stopped walking. "Look around, Silver," he then said. "How many animals besides me do you see that are purple?"

Silver looked at the students around the schoolyard for bit. "Two."

"Exactly. And how many red ones are there?"

"At least twelve."

"See? My color is a minority."

"Try not to see it as another reason to hate yourself."

"Yeah, well... We're getting off topic. Girls don't like me!"

"That's because the girls in your district are mean! Not every one in there world is though. Blaze appears to be nice. I'm going to invite her."

"'Fine," Digit said. He was not happy with his roommate's decision.

The two were silent for the rest of the walk to the cafeteria. Inside, they were serving French toast for breakfast. Digit of course ignored this and got corn flakes. Blaze was sitting by herself a few tables down from where Silver and Digit sat. She had earbuds in and was reading a book.

"I'll be right back," Silver said while getting up.

 _"I hope she says no,"_ Digit thought.

The hedgehog waved to get her attention. She noticed and took out an earbud.

"Hi again," he said.

She gave a soft smile. "Hello," she replied.

"Are you just reading?"

"Yes, I like to read." Her smile disappeared. "Why? Is there something wrong with that?"

"Nothing. It's just that you seem lonely."

"Oh no. I'm okay. I like being by myself."

Silver gestured to his table. "Don't you want to sit with us?"

"Us?"

"Me and my roommate, Digit."

Blaze looked at the table and made eye contact with Digit who was staring at them. He quickly turned his head the opposite direction after seeing her look at him. _"She looked at me!"_ he thought apprehensively.

"Um... I'm okay. Thank you for the offer," answered Blaze.

The hedgehog was a little bummed by her reply. "Are you sure?" he asked hoping she would change her mind.

"Yes. Maybe another time. I just wanna be by myself."

"Okay," he said sadly. "See you later." He started to walk back to his table. He stopped and turned around to say one more thing. "Can I ask why you don't want to si-"

Blaze snapped at him. "I said I'm fi-!" She stopped and tried to return back to her calm self. "Uh, I mean I just, uh, don't want to this morning." She blushed in embarrassment. "Pardon my outburst."

"It's, uh, it's okay," Silver said falteringly. He was still shocked over her short fit of temper. He started to walk backwards. "Um, bye." He finally made his way back to where Digit was. "It must be that time of the month," he said to himself. He was trying to stay positive.

Digit was watching all of this. It set a bad example for how girls usually were. _"Yep, I'm staying single. Always and forever."_ he thought.

Blaze may usually seem normal, but on the inside, she is very emotional. She appears to be calm and untroubled, but she felt worried, insecure, and angry inwardly. Sometimes, she would lose control and show off her anger towards others. If her temper grew large enough, something, or someone would probably go up in flames. Yes, she had pyrokinesis. She just made it her responsibility to never show anyone. This is why she tries to not get too attached with anyone.

Still embarrassed over what happened, she put her earbud back in. She looked at her hands to make sure they weren't lit. She felt the flames inside of her burning. She hated her powers. She saw them as a curse. She always wondered what it was like to be normal. She didn't know it yet, but she wasn't alone.

Silver sat back down.

"Case in point," the wolf remarked.

"That was not a good example!" stated the hedgehog. "It's the morning, she's probably still tired."

Digit rolled his eyes. "Right," he said sarcastically.

"Honest!"

"Sure."

Silver sighed. He looked at Blaze once more. She was still checking her hands. "I still think she's pyrokinetic."

"I hope not. The last thing I would want is a female feline burning me alive."

Silver didn't say anything. He was done trying to convince his roommate.

The two barely talked for the rest of the morning. They bell finally rang. Time for school.


	17. Chapter 17: Lockers

The two walked down the hall. Silver was trying to find his locker before school started. He didn't get the chance to use it yesterday, plus he didn't need to. Today though, he did.

"What's your locker number, Dij?" he asked.

"133," the wolf said. "You just passed it."

"Oh," Silver said sheepishly.

The two roommates turned around to reach the locker.

Digit became a bit curious on what his roommate said. "Why do you need to know?"

"I'm locker 137. It'll help me find mine quickly." Silver realized he hasn't seen Digit use it at all yesterday. "How often do you use your locker?"

"Never." Digit said.

"How come?"

Digit pointed at his locker when they reached it. "Just look at it."

The lockers at the Academy were triple tiers. It just happened to be that Locker #133 was a top locker. It was perfectly clear why Digit never uses it, he couldn't even reach it for Chaos' sake!

Silver scoffed. "That's just stupid."

Digit folded his arms. "You're telling me."

"Why didn't you ask for a new one?"

The wolf stared at him annoyedly as if his roommate should've already known the answer.

Silver got the picture. "Right. So you just keep everything in your backpack?"

Digit nodded.

"Isn't that heavy?"

"My sucky life bears a lot of weight already, what's another 15 pounds going to do?"

Silver peaked at his own locker. "Well, that ends today. You want to trade?"

"Huh?"

Silver smiled. "My locker's in the middle. You can use it if you want."

"B-but why?"

"Because it's not fair for you to carry all your stuff only because you can't reach your locker."

"No, it's okay," Digit said.

"Really?"

"Uh, y-yeah. I'm fine." he lied.

Silver didn't believe him for a second. He crouched down slightly to reach eye level with Digit. "Buddy, we both know you want the locker you can reach."

The wolf's ears drooped and his muzzle turned pink. He looked away. "...Yeah."

"Here." The hedgehog pulled out a piece of paper from one of his backpack's pockets. "It has the combination."

"Thank you." Digit said faintly. He walked over to 237 and started to unlock it. He was still getting used to someone treating him nicely. He thought he was dreaming still.

"So what's your combo?" Silver asked.

"Um, I forgot. I threw away the paper." Digit said while laughing sheepishly. "I'm sorry."

Silver sighed. "Well, for now, we'll have to share the locker."

Silver put his shoes and clothes for P.E. inside. Digit did the same. He also put in a few textbooks and some other school things.

"By the way, what time is it?" Silver inquired while closing the door.

Digit looked at his watch. His blank expression quickly became a look of alarm. "It's 7:59!" he shouted.

"Oh shoot! Where's Room 190?"

"That's at the end of the hall."

"Okay, we have 30 seconds. Let's go!"

The two then hurried their way to the classroom.


	18. Chapter 18: Chaosology

The two roommates made it to the room in the nick of time, the bell rang just as soon as they stepped in. That didn't mean they would get off scot-free. They were put on the spot.

The teacher, who was a brown dog, stood by his desk looking at the two with his arms crossed. "Well, since you two are standing right there, why don't you two introduce yourselves?"

A feeling of fear crept inside Digit. He wasn't prepared for talking about himself. If he was informed about this earlier, he probably would've been less anxious.

Everyone was staring at him. He started to have pain in his chest and felt like he would pass out at any second.

Silver started first. "I'm Silver the Hedgehog. I'm new here," he declared.

"And you, sir?" said the teacher looking at the wolf.

Digit's hands were shaking. He tried to cover it up by putting them behind his back. "Um... I'm uh.." he said, his voice cracking.

"He's my roommate, Digit," said Silver.

A few classmates started to engage in gossip. Digit found it pretty obvious what they were talking about.

The teacher motioned them to sit down and the roommates made a beeline for the two closest empty desks.

The wolf laid his head down on the desk and sighed in embarrassment.

Silver patted him on the back for reassurance. "You tried. You'll do better next time."

Jet was in another row, snickering to himself.

"My name is Mr. Maxwell," the teacher said. "In this class, you will be learning about the god, Chaos. If you're lucky, we might be able to study the Chaos Emeralds as well.

This news made Silver perk up. "Hey, did you hear that? We'll be able

to learn how the emeralds work," he said to his roommate.

Digit didn't seem as interested. "Yeah, so?"

"So, it might come in handy for the _thing,"_ he whispered.

The wolf was still negative. "Don't hold your breath. He didn't promise it."

The hedgehog shrugged.

During that class day, they watched a video going over the basics of Chaosology. They had to answer a worksheet that went over the video since it was "educational." After the video, Mr. Maxwell assigned everyone textbooks. He made Silver and another student hand out the textbooks to everyone. He also made Jet hand out the homework.

When the hawk made his way to Digit and Silver's desk, the wolf became apprehensive and moved away from him. Jet stopped and held out his hand with the homework, waiting for Digit to grab it. Feeling relieved, Digit reached out to grab it. Before he could, Jet dropped it and the papers flew to the ground. "Oops. I thought you had it already," he said sneeringly.

Digit sighed and got out of his seat to pick up his homework. While doing so, Jet rolled up the rest of the papers and smacked the back of Digit's head. This made the wolf let out a small yelp. A few classmates giggled.

"What's going on?" questioned the teacher.

"He dropped his homework and then accidentally bumped his head on the desk," Jet stated.

"Digit, is this true?"

The wolf started to shake his head but then stopped. His eyes quickly looked at Jet who was smirking at him. He finally looked at Mr. Maxwell and nodded.

"You really should be more careful, 'Midget,'" Jet said quietly before leaving.

Silver was staring at the hawk while breathing deeply, trying to stay calm. He was angry at what just happened. He was tempted to say something, but he didn't if that would make it worse. He then decided to tell the teacher in private later. He wasn't going to let Jet get off that easily.

A couple minutes later, the bell rang. The two roommates made their way to their locker to get out their gym clothes.

Silver started to say something. "Hey, about Jet-"

Digit cut him off. "Can we not talk about him right now?"

"Well, I feel like it's important!"

"Tell me later!" he said while slamming the locker. "Let's just get P.E. over with."


	19. Chapter 19: PE

The two roommates peered inside the gym through it's doorway.

"There's a lot of people in this class," groaned Digit.

Silver shrugged. "It doesn't seem too big. It seems like there's only 30 or 40 people."

Annoyed, the wolf frowned at him.

"Oh. Right," said the hedgehog. He started walking inside. "It doesn't matter how many there are, at least we're doing it together."

Digit sighed and hung his head. "It's not like I'm a light-switch. I can't turn off my stress and fears," he said to himself. Looking up, he spotted his roommate already seven feet away from him. He quickly ran to catch up with him.

When they reached the crowd of other freshmen and sophomores, they blended in... well, at least Silver did.

After seeing lots of students glance at him, the small wolf hid behind his much taller roommate. He felt uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable. He'd rather be anywhere but here. At least in the other classes he could slightly cover up how short he was. Keyword: slightly. It wasn't really noticeable when he was sitting in a desk. When standing with a group of other people however, it became obvious.

Within the group of stares, whispers, and snickers, Digit noticed Jet. As if it couldn't get worse. Digit has yet another class him.

"I don't like it here, everyone keeps looking at me," he whimpered.

"Just try to ignore them, If you have to, stand next to Tails."

Digit then saw Tails waving. That was a good idea. Digit didn't even notice the fox in the crowd until now. He could stand next to him and look like a prodigy due to his height. However, a whistle blew before he could even start walking.

A red adult jackal wearing a black baseball cap walked in. "Alright, dweebs, let's get this party started," he said. "You may call me Coach Henry. In return, I'ma call you freshmen, fresh meat, and the sophomores, plebs."

One rabbit raised his hand and asked, "Why are you calling us that?"

"'Cause it's funny!" chortled the coach.

Everyone stared at him. A few laughed forcefully. The two roommates shrugged at each other.

Henry continued talking. "Here's a fun fact about me: I have a channel on Vidoogle."

Silver was intrigued. "Really?"

"Heh. No, I'm not that popular... yet." The jackal looked at his clipboard. "Okaay, enough jokes. Since this is the first class you guys have with me, I'll make this today super special. How about starting the school year off with the mile?"

Everyone let out a big groan.

"Oh, come on! It's only like 8 laps!"

Digit looked at Silver. "What's the mile?"

"It's where you have to run around the gym until you reach a so-called distance of one mile."

"Running?! Oh no," the wolf thought. His life was over.

"Don't worry, Dij," said the hedgehog. "I'll help you do it."

"May I remind everyone that this is a unassisted physical activity. No helping others," called out Coach Henry.

Silver and Digit sighed.

The class was then split into ten groups of five. When Henry blew his whistle, a group would start their run. Silver was in Group 2 and Digit was in Group 5.

Silver was doing pretty well. He nearly made his first lap when Tails sped ahead of him. The fox started in Group 8. "Wow, he's fast!" the hedgehog thought. He was right. Tails passed him again 25 seconds later. In fact, Tails was the first one to finish the mile.

"Congrats, Tails! Not only are you the first one to finish the mile, but you've now beat the record!"

"Wow! Cool!" responded the fox. He looked like he didn't even break a sweat.

"We need an exclamation for you or something. Maybe 'Praise Tails!' or something."

"Uh, okay."

While that was going on, Silver was on his fifth lap. He didn't see Digit anywhere. He finally spotted the wolf in front of him. He barely finished his third lap and was exhausted.

"You suck, 'Midget!'" yelled Jet while passing him. He was on his sixth lap.

Digit stopped running after he passed the line. He tried to catch his breath.

Silver passed him as well. "Don't listen to him. He's a jerk."

Digit started again a few moments after his roommate went past. His already slow pace degraded rapidly. It took him fifteen seconds to make it halfway around the gym on his fourth lap.

Coach Henry was getting annoyed with Digit being the only one left on the track. "Aw, come on! I thought coyotes were fast!"

The wolf was at the end of his rope. Worn out, he fell on the hard floor hyperventilating. A roar of laughter came after this happened. Digit heard the laughter, but he went numb. He couldn't think straight for a few moments.

"Y'know what? Just walk the rest of the mile and join us when you're done."

When Digit recovered, he walked his laps feeling embarrassed and upset. Afterwards, he hid underneath the bleachers and waited for the class to end.

About five minutes before the bell rang, the coach dismissed them to get changed and ready for their next class.

"You think you might have asthma?" Silver asked while he took off his gym shirt.

Digit, sitting on the bench, shrugged. "Probably. Does it feel your chest locks up while you're coughing and wheezing when you have asthma?"

"Yeah, it usually does."

"Then yes, I guess I have asthma then."

"Is that why you hate running?"

"Yes. That's one of the few reasons."

They both grab their backpacks and start walking out.

Silver asked another question. "Have you had it your whole life?"

Digit shook his head. "It seems more recent. Like in the last year or so."

"Interesting," commented Silver.

The bell rang.

"Time for algebra," the hedgehog stated.


End file.
